Aaron Pico confirmed that he was indeed in talks to fight top featherweight contender Movsar Evloev in his UFC debut.
The former Bellator featherweight got his wish of signing with the UFC after spending months campaigning for a full release from the PFL. Prior to his UFC signing becoming public, Pico was linked to a matchup with Evloev in the UFC Fight Night 256 headliner May 17 at The UFC Apex (ESPN+), which Evloev also hinted at.
Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) addressed those rumors.
“Yeah, it was real,” Pico told MMA Junkie. “I mean, I got a phone call from Ali (Abdelaziz) saying, ‘Hi, can you fight on May 17?’ And I said, ‘Of course.’ And then I just said, ‘Who am I fighting against?’ He said, ‘Movsar.’ And I said, ‘Of course. That’s a great fight for me. I don’t think he knows how good my wrestling is.’ And he said, ‘OK, Movsar agreed, too.’ So, I don’t know. It was pretty close.”
Pico understands why Evloev backed out
The fight with Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) didn’t end up materializing but Pico understands why.
“I was a little bit surprised, but ultimately it’s not happening,” Pico said. “But it was a good sign that they were entertaining the idea of (me) fighting a guy so highly ranked. For him, it was kind of hard because he’s No. 4, and I’m just coming in.
“I can understand why he probably got advised not to ultimately take it, but he did say yes. I’m sure he got in with his team, and they said, ‘What are you doing? Just wait.’ So, nothing but respect.”
Pico shifts attention to two top-10 UFC featherweights
Instead, Pico has shifted his focus to two other featherweight contenders he hopes to draw in his octagon debut.
“I’m looking at it like this: I was supposed to fight Movsar. Who is he supposed to fight and who has he fought last?” Pico said. “He fought Aljamain (Sterling) last. Let’s fight Aljamain. I believe he was supposed to fight Brian Ortega, don’t quote me on that, (but) if Brian Ortgea’s ready to go, then let’s fight. That’s how you make money.”
Ortega is No. 6 in the official UFC rankings, while former bantamweight champ Sterling is No. 9 at 145 pounds.
